Tom Clancy's Splintercell: Blacklist - Tips for Beginners - by Reddwarf
This guide is intended for those not only new to Splintercell Games, but new to
shooter and stealth games in general. This does assume some general gaming
experience, and is not a tutorial or a walkthrough. Also, this guide is
intended for the PC version of the game, but most advice will apply to the
console versions. I did not include detailed lists of gear as other resources
already have that information, only some general advice based on my experience
playing the game. Also, this guide only covers single player gameplay, not
Spies vs Mercs.
Table of Contents
01 - Money
02 - Challenges
03 - Gear Upgrade Basics
04 - Paladin Upgrades
05 - Difficulty
06 - Play Styles - Ghost, Panther, Assault
07 - Solo Mission Types
08 - Stealth - Staying Hidden
09 - Monkey Man - Using Sam's Amazing Acrobatic Talents
10 - Enemy Types
11 - Firearms
12 - Gadgets
13 - General Advice
14 - Conclusion
01 - Money
Sam earns money to upgrade weapons, armour and the Paladin HQ in two ways:
Missions and Challenges.
Missions must be completed to get paid, while Challenge rewards do not
necessarily require the completion of the mission to receive.
I recommend that you divide your spending between the most important weapon and
armour upgrades, and Paladin upgrades. For every Paladin upgrade your pay
scale for missions improves, so future missions will pay more. If you have the
deluxe digital version of the game, you will have weapon and armour upgrades
that you should explore after the prologue mission.
To earn money to upgrade the Paladin and buy weapons and gadgets, if you are
having a hard time as a beginner, set the difficulty to Rookie or Normal, and
redo the easiest missions over and over. You can repeat missions and get paid
every time.
For example, you could keep redoing "Safehouse", the first solo mission after
the prologue/tutorial mission. The good thing about this mission is that there
are many checkpoints. You can keep trying each section until you complete it
and each time, you'll learn a bit and get more used to the controls. Plus,
Safehouse pays pretty well.
02 - Challenges - Another way to earn money
To see Challenges, access ShadowNet within the game (press Space to bring up
the SMI and then TAB to bring up ShadowNet). Look through the list of
Challenges, pick one and start a mission to achieve the goal and get the
reward money. For each objective, there will be a suggestion for a mission
that will help you achieve this objective. It won't always be the best
suggestion.
03 - Gear Upgrade Basics
The subject of unlocking gear and acquiring gear is a bit complicated. Some
gear is available to unlock after purchasing another piece of gear, some is
unlocked by purchasing Paladin upgrades, some is only available in
Downloadable Content (DLC), and some is only available by doing a series of
missions.
One piece of advice I can give is that if you complete Grimm's 4E side
missions that are not part of the main story, you will unlock the best
stealth armour in the game. Each of these missions are stealth only. If you
have to take out enemies, do it without alerting anyone else, though you can
use lethal or non-lethal means.
Also, I've found that the Charlie's Workshop Paladin upgrades unlock the very
best weapons in the game, so you might want to get these upgrades early.
The crossbow is awesome when fully upgraded, especially for Ghost style play,
though you get a "sleep gas" only version of the crossbow called the
"Tactical Crossbow" early in the game, which is superior to the stun gun.
04 - Paladin Upgrades
You'll eventually want to get all the upgrades as it raises your pay scale
for missions, but I recommend getting the Cockpit upgrades first, then
Charlie's Workshop to unlock the best weapons.
05 - Difficulty
If you are a beginner like me, don't worry too much if you have you start out
playing on Rookie difficulty. This is a very challenging game for beginners,
even on Rookie. As your skill improves, so will your ability to be successful
at higher difficulties, until you'll be able to do many missions on the
highest difficulty setting, Perfectionist.
Higher difficulty settings pay more when completing missions as you get more
for taking down (or choosing to leave undisturbed) each hostile.
Rookie: enemies do less damage and you have more ammunition and gadgets. You
do more damage.
Normal: you have a normal amount of ammo and gadgets, and enemies do a normal
amount of damage. You do more damage.
Realistic: Enemies spot you more easily and do more damage to you than normal
dificulty.
Perfectionist: You get less gadgets and no refills on ammunition. Enemies do
more damage and spot you easily. You do less damage. Completing missions
Ghost style on Perfectionist pay the most money.
06 - Play Styles - Ghost, Panther, Assault
Ghost - the most rewarding financially. Also, it may require the most patience.
You get Ghost points for
- Leaving enemies undisturbed
- Stealth knockouts by non-lethal hand-to-hand or with gadgets or special
weapons
Undisturbed means that enemies are not aware of your presence in the area and
are not actively searching for you.
Leaving enemies undisturbed pays the most points. For example, to master
Ghost in Grim's 4E stealth missions, you must leave most enemies undisturbed,
so try to slip by most enemies.
Panther - Arguably the easiest play style, since you can use a sniper rifle to
take down enemies at a distance and lethal hand-to-hand animations are
shorter than knockouts. Be aware that other enemies may be close by the one
that you are sniping from a distance and may be alerted to your presense.
Firearms in general can be quicker than non-lethal alternatives. You get
Panther points for
- evading enemies
- Stealth kills by lethal hand-to-hand, pistol or alternate weapon
Evade enemies by having them actively looking for you but not finding you
while you complete an objective.
Assault - for me, this is the most difficult play style. You have to be quick,
accurate and constantly on the move to stay alive. You get points for
- killing enemies with loud weapons
- killing enemies with silenced weapons when they are aware of you and in
"combat mode".
- killing enemies with frag or incendiary grenades
- killing enemies with lethal hand-to-hand during combat
- knocking out enemies during combat with non-lethal hand-to-hand, gadgets or
special weapons.
07 - Solo Mission Types
Solo Campaign Mission - The Main Story
The main story has long missions with a lot of cut scenes, and will benefit
from using a variety of skills. The earlier missions tend to be the shortest
and easiest. Remember that once you've completed a mission, you can replay it
at any time. I mentioned safehouse, but American Consumption, though a longer
mission, is not too difficult, so you could run through that a few times to
build up funds and your skill.
4E Solo Missions
These are the side missions for solo or coop play. There are three mission
types: Charlie, Grimm and Kobin. They tend to be much shorter than the main
solo campaign missions, and there are no cut scenes other than the briefing.
Charlie Missions involve surviving wave after wave of enemies, each wave more
difficult than the last. At my skill level, I find these very challenging,
but I've definitely improved my skill the most by playing them. I found that
I didn't earn very much considering how much time they take.
Grimm Missions are pure stealth. They all involved completing a few objectives
quietly and getting out. The missions can be completed fairly quickly and pay
well. You will definitely learn a lot about how stealth works in this game by
playing them, and you'll get rich doing it, if you stick with it. When you're
ready to try higher difficulty levels, these are probably the best missions to
try first, as stealth doesn't really change at higher difficulties, it's just
less tolerant - you're easier to spot by enemies.
Kobin missions are best done using stealth, unless you are using the "Assault
Style" with loud weapons. If the alarm is raised, many reinforcements will be
called, including dogs and elite troups, meaning the mission will take much
longer, if you survive. These missions all have two parts each with a
checkpoint in the middle. The missions also pay very well. I find that these
missions were good for learning the game in general. You can pick off enemies
one by one, but also learn to take out two enemies at once.
08 - Stealth - Staying Hidden
The tutorial mission at the beginning of the game teaches you how to be hidden.
These are the factors that affect whether or not you are detected:
- How much light falls on your character. When you are in the dark, the lights
will show on your suit. This is only for your information. Enemies don't see
the lights on your suit. Note that enemies with flashlights and snipers with
lasers will spot you easily if their flashlight or laser points at your
character, even in the dark.
- Whether you are crouching or standing. If you are standing, and not behind
an obstacle, enemies will spot you more easily, so you'll want to crouch most
of the time.
- Which way the character is facing. Enemies facing away from you will not
likely detect your presence. Once you upgrade the Paladin Cockpit so you can
tell which way enemies face, you will be able to see this information in a
scope display on your HUD. This is a very useful tool, especially when you are
hiding behind an obstacle and cannot see which way your enemy is facing.
- How much sound you are making. If you are running (holding Left-Shift button
while moving by default on PC), you will make more noise. Normally, you will
want to crouch and move at a normal walking pace when close to enemies, though
sometimes you can get away with running up behind them if they are moving or
distracted.
- Your vertical position in relation to the enemy. Often, enemies don't think
to look up, so often your character (Sam Fisher), can hang above them
undetected. This includes hanging from windows, ledges and pipes. Also,
hanging from a ledge below your enemy can often prevent them from spotting you.
09 - Monkey Man - Using Sam's Amazing Acrobatic Talents
One hallmark of the Splintercell series is that Sam can perform inhuman feats
of physical prowess.
He can hang from ledges and pipes indefinitely by one hand while firing a
crossbow or pistol. This can be handy in many situations for taking out an
enemy where he cannot use a two-handed firearm. There are often opportunities
to hang from a window, railing or ledge and use a pistol or crossbow to take
down an enemy.
He can drop from ledges, pipes and other surfaces to perform aerial knockouts
or death from above. Position Sam over an enemy, and if you see the "Aerial
Knockout" or "Death from Above" option become available, you can perform a
silent takedown from above (assuming no one is nearby to witness - press E by
default on PC).
He can also perfom "ledge pull downs", where he will pull an enemy that is on
ledge above him. This can often work when an enemy is behind a railing. Sam
can hang onto the railing and do a stealth take down when the enemy is close.
He can sometimes climb up walls if there is something to grab.
He can crawl through large vents to bypass obstacles and put himself in a
better position for takedowns or survey the environment. Always be on the
lookout for alternate paths in every mission. You even get extra points
(Exploration points) for discovering some of the alternate paths.
10 - Enemy Types
I've had to make up some of the enemy types, as I don't know what they're
called in the game.
Standard - this enemy carries either a side arm or rifle, and possibly a
flashbang or frag grenades. You can use Mark and Execute with no issues on
these enemies. They have no armour, so will take very little firepower to take
down. Head shots are a guaranteed kill with any firearm.
Standard Armoured - this enemy has a helmet, and sometimes light body armour,
so Mark and Execute will usually not work.
Elite - this enemy has better armour than standard enemies and has equipment
to better spot Sam. They wear stealth armour and have infrared goggles. They
tend to use smoke grenades, and do sommersaults to evade your fire. Mark and
Execute works on these enemies.
Elite Armoured - this enemy also has a helmet, even more armour than elite and
has improved infrared goggles. They tend to use smoke grenades, and do
sommersaults to evade your fire. When using a pistol, you may have to
practially empty your clip to take one down, unless you first shoot off the
helmet, then do a head shot. Mark and Execute will normally NOT work.
Heavy Infantry - these enemies have very heavy armour and helmets with gas
masks. They are immune to gas grenades and crossbow pellets unless you first
shoot off the mask. They are also immune to shockers. The are practically
immune to bullets where they are armoured. They usually carry shotguns that
do massive damage, normally killing you in one shot.
If you need to shoot a heavy infantry, first shoot their mask off, then go for
a head shot. If you have the best sniper rifle in the game, you can sometimes
kill them with one shot, if facing them head on and hitting the center of
their mask. This can also work when using an assault rifle in fully automatic
or burst fire mode, where one burst can both unmask and subsequently kill the
enemy. This also depends on the difficulty level. It works on Rookie and
Normal, but possibly not on Realistic and Perfectionist.
If you decide to do a hand-to-hand takedown on a heavy, which is often the
easiest, you must have the element of surprise, otherwise your attack will be
unsuccessful. Normally, you'll attack from cover (if they are not actively
searching for you), from behind, above or below. Both lethal and non-lethal
attacks work. There is also a technique where you can use Mark and Execute
and a sleep gas grenade:
1) Mark the heavy (Alt)
2) Throw a gas grenade (Middle Mouse Button)
3) Execute (Ctrl)
The Execute will shoot off the gas mask. If you are close enough, you can also
use Mark and Execute with a crossbow using sleep gas, which makes it a normal
Mark and Execute technique. The gas will put the heavy to sleep once he is
unmasked. Since these are non-lethal, you will get Ghost points if undetected,
Assault points if in combat.
Incendiary Grenades also work on Heavy Infantry, but frag grenades don't seem
to do much damage.
Drone Operators - whenever you see a remote-controlled drone with the red
search light, there is a drone operator enemy close by operating it. They are
normally somewhat distracted, so sneaking up behind them is fairly easy. They
have very light armour, but often have a helmet, making Mark and Execute
useless with most weapons. When there is a drone operator, it will affect your
goggles in any mode but night vision. The goggles will only show drones and
drone operators - no other enemies will appear due to the interference of the
drone remote control. Take down all of the drone operators in the area to
restore your goggles to normal.
Drones - drones can climb stairs and have a camera sensor. If their red light
shines on you, you'll be spotted. They attack by moving close to you and
exploding, killing you instantly on difficulty modes other than Rookie.
Dogs - dogs have no armour (or very light armour), so can be easily killed or
put to sleep. However, they have an excellent sense of smell, so they can find
you even when you are hidden. Try not to let a dog get close to you, as they
will do damage as well as alerting your presence to other enemies and holding
you out in the open for other enemies to fire on you. A dog grabbing your arm
is often a death sentence. Take them out from afar, or set traps, such as
proximity shockers and mines. If a dog does grab you, try mashing the E key to
get it off you and be prepared to run and hide if you do survive the
encounter.
11 - Firearms
Pistols
Pistols work best at close range, and can be used when Sam is hanging from
something such as a ledge or pipe. Plan on using several shots to take an
enemy down unless you have a clear head shot and the enemy is not wearing a
helmet. Taking down Heavy Infantry can be very difficult with a pistol as
their body armour is impenetrable to the pistols in the game. Instead, shoot
off the helmet and take a head shot.
Alternate Weapon - Small Machine Guns
These weapons are compact and very quiet when silenced, but tend to have low
damage and a short range. The SC400 is the best (buy the first Paladin
upgrade to Charlie's Workshop from Grimm to unlock), with decent damage and a
generous magazine size when fully upgraded.
Alternate Weapon - Assault Rifle
These tend to be more powerful and superior in many ways to the SMG's. More
power, range, and even larger magazines make them a better choice for most
players. The fully upgraded SC4000 is the best once available. Choose a scope
and you can use it as you would a sniper rifle.
Alternate Weapon - Shotgun
These are very powerful at close range, and an excellent choice if you don't
need to do any "sniping" from a distance. Not very accurate, so aim for the
center of the chest, unless the target is heavily armoured.
Alternate Weapon - Sniper Rifle
These are perfect for the Panther style of gameplay. With the best rifle (the
SC - upgrade Charlie's Workshop to unlock), most enemies go down with one shot
on Normal difficulty. You can sometimes one shot a heavy infantry with a well
place shot head on in the middle of the mask.
Special Weapons - Stun Gun
This is a standard issue stun gun you get at the start of the game. It is
excellent for Ghost style gameplay as it takes down most enemies with one shot.
This does not work on Heavy Infantry. Stun guns are not as accurate as
crossbows.
Special Weapons - Tactical Crossbow
This crossbow only shoots sleeping gas pellets. This is a step up from the
stun gun as you can sometimes stun multiple enemies if they are in very close
proximity to each other. Also, you can use it on Heavy Infantry if you shoot
off their mask. See the Heavy Infantry section.
Special Weapons - Crossbow
Once fully upgraded, you have a whole arsenal of tricks. You can shock or use
sleeping gas on enemies. You can fire EMP's to disrupt electronics, and shoot
noisemakers to distract enemies. This will be your main tool if you play Ghost
style.
12 - Gadgets
Gadget included remote devices, proximity devices and grenades. These are my
favourite:
Sleeping Gas Grenades are likely my favourite "gadget". They have a wider
dispersal area than the crossbow sleeping gas pellets, so they can potentially
take out more enemies at once.
Proximity Shockers are really fun, as they are a trap you can lay down that
shocks enemies that get close. Put them at "choke points" where enemies are
definitely going to walk close by. They can serve as an early warning system
that enemies are moving into the vicinity as you can hear the enemy as he is
being shocked. One thing to note: only 3 can exist in Normal and Realistic
difficulty. If you lay down three in the environment, and go to an ammo cache,
it will not replenish your supply of proximity shockers. Only once they are
triggered can you replenish them. If you need to remove one from the
environment,
you can shoot it with your firearm.
Proximity Mines are similar to shockers, but instead of shocking enemies,
they explode and kill any enemies close by. You'll always get Assault points
for takedowns with mines. Only 3 can exist in Normal and Realistic difficulty.
If you lay down three in the environment, and go to an ammo cache, it will not
replenish your supply of proximity mines. Only once they are triggered can you
replenish them. If an enemy triggers a mine close to you, you will also take
damage. If you need to remove one from the environment, you can shoot it with
your firearm, but don't be too close as it will explode.
Incendiary Grenades will only give Assault points. They have a fairly large
area of effect. While Heavy Infantry will shrug off frag grenade explosions,
incendiary grenades will work on them.
Sticky Cameras are remote cameras that allow you to monitor another part of
the environment. They can also attract enemies by playing a sound, then you
can make them release gas or explode to take down an enemy. Only one camera
can be used at a time, so you can't lay down three cameras and monitor the
entire area. You can disable a camera in order to use another one.
13 - General Advice for Beginners
The main points of being successful I've found:
- Know where the enemies are and keep track of their movements.
Upgrade the Paladin Cockpit ASAP.
- Enemies have different patterns when in normal patrol mode (completely
unaware of your presence), compared to active search mode (suspicious), and
combat mode (aware of your presence). Learn these movement patterns to know
where to go to avoid detection.
- Hide bodies when appropriate. When a patrol discovers a body, it will
heighten their awareness and they will alert every hostile in the area.
- Look for hostiles that are all alone with no one to help them or hear them
scream.
- If you see one hostile, don't assume he is alone. Check to see if there are
others close by before taking him down.
- When shooting enemies that are in groups, try to wait until they are
closely aligned so you don't have to re-aim to take them all out.
- When targeting a moving enemy with a scope, it is easiest to aim in front
of the direction they are heading, hold steady, and fire once they move into
your crosshairs. This way you don't have to aim and fire at the same time.
- Practice to be fast and accurate with your actions. Since you can repeat
any mission, use these missions as a sandbox training area to improve your
skills and try different tactics.
- Always have a place where you can retreat where there are no enemies if
you're discovered. Try not to get pinned into a corner. Enemies often will
use frag grenades when you're trapped.
- Use Sam's acrobatic and stealth abilities to their fullest. Look for
alternate paths through vents or by climbing on pipes or ledges.
- Always look for "death from above" opportunities. You can sometimes perform
them from fairly high up. They are a lot of fun.
- Look for opportunities to use your gadgets and the crossbow. They can makes
things so much easier. Also, it's very satisfying taking out three or four
enemies with one sleeping gas grenade.
- If you want to attract enemies to one spot or away from a spot, use
something loud, such as a frag grenade, to take out at least one enemy. Most
of the time, this will attract all the enemies in the area. Note that they
will tend to look in the vicinity of your position when you threw the grenade,
so be prepared to move to another spot immediately. Note that this will put
them in combat mode.
- When playing Ghost style, and you want to leave enemies undisturbed, your
best tool is the crossbow with noisemakers. This should only be used when
enemies are not already suspicious and is best when the enemy is not facing
you. Shoot the noisemaker at a spot where you would like the enemy to go or
at least look in that direction while you slip by unnoticed.
14 - Conclusion
I hope this guide helps you be successful in single player gameplay.